Eagles first-year coach Chris Vozab was proud of the first part despite a 56-42 loss to Furman.

Georgia Southern’s hustle made it a close game for 34 minutes. But the Eagles (2-12, 1-4 Southern Conference) went the final 10:49 with just one field goal. They shot 16 of 62 overall (25.8 percent) and only 6 of 34 in the second half (17.6 percent).

Furman (5-8, 1-3) pulled away with a 10-0 run in the last 5:58.

“When we weren’t completing the plays, we got a little frantic,” said Vozab, who replaced longtime coach Rusty Cram after the Eagles struggled through an 8-22 campaign last season.

GSU’s improvement isn’t reflected in the team’s record this season, said junior guard MiMi DuBose.

“We are so much better than this time last year,” said DuBose, who finished with a team-high 11 points. “All of us are taking to this coaching staff.”

“It was disappointing to lose a conference game at home, but I think we’re showing improvement,” DuBose said. “Every conference game is big, but basketball is a tournament game and it matters the most how you play on that one weekend.”

DuBose, of course, is talking about the Southern Conference Tournament, where the winner gets an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Vozab sees a bigger picture developing.

“We’re trying to turn our team into a program,” she said.

Ellis returns to area

Former Calvary Day School star Kelsey Ellis returned to the area as a guard with Furman. She was scoreless in four minutes of play.

The freshman has averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds with a career-high four points against Mercer on Nov. 24.

Her family, friends and former Calvary teammates made up a significant portion of the announced crowd of 379.

“I’m playing (shooting guard) instead of (forward), so the speed of the game and the defense is so different,” Ellis said. “I have to get faster.”